This invention relates to a harvester machine, and more particularly to a mobile harvester of the type that is adapted to be driven along a row of plants with harvesting of the fruit such as berries or beans growing on these plants effected by shaking the plants. A harvester of this description is commonly used in the harvesting of fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, etc., although in indicating these fruits, it is not intended to limit the machine of the patent to any particular product.
A conventional harvester includes a frame which is wheel-supported, and which is adapted to be driven along a row of fruit-bearing plants with the frame straddling the plants in the row. Fruit is harvested through shaking the plants with various forms of shakers, and the fruit then drops from the plants on to catcher plates, to be directed into a system which collects the fruit. Typically, catcher plates are provided which travel with the harvester and are adapted to travel under the crop-producing portions of the plants and closely adjacent the ground. The catcher plates are inclined, which is to say they slope downwardly progressing outwardly from the center of any bush being processed, so that fruit by gravity on coming into contact with the plates will move laterally outwardly on the row.
A problem that has arisen is that with the development of larger and hardier bushes, the distance that material must travel in moving laterally outwardly of a row to reach any fruit collector has increased. To generally elevate the catcher plates does not provide a satisfactory answer, since optimum harvesting results are obtained with catcher plates that move as close to the ground as possible.
What this invention generally is directed to is the provision of novel means for conveying fallen product outwardly of the bush, to permit the harvesting of product from larger bushes while still catching the product as it falls at an elevation relatively close to the ground.
More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a novel guide means which serves to bridge the off-bearing extremities of catcher plates and a fruit collector, such as a collector belt, with the guide means serving to channel material from the plates to the belt.
More specifically, the invention contemplates a motor-operated, reciprocating, guide-plate means which by reason of its motion, serves to direct fruit from a catcher plate system to a conveyor belt.